Valentine's with Mordred
by CelestialBirb
Summary: Valentines is a lovely day for some, sharing chocolates, spending time with a significant other. Mordred doesn't fall in line with any of those things. So when she receives one out of the blue things take a not so pleasant turn. Lots of friend shipping.


Mordred wasn't really the sort of person to celebrate special day or events, be it the national holidays of her time such as the annual celebration of Arthurs coronation marked by the day he pulled the holy sword from the stone, the occasional carnival events happening every three months or so in Camelot, hell she didn't even celebrate her own birthday. No... She much preferred being out on the battlefield doing what she did best. Killing things.

Not to say she was some kind of workaholic, no she spent as much time laying about as she did fighting and she did actually enjoy events such a jousting or duel tournaments, though her enjoyment only involved things that specifically related to her sword so maybe that didn't count… The point was that she took her own days off and cultural stuff didn't play any part in that.

She knew she certainly wasn't the only servant that had that mindset but by god had a lot of them taken a liking to this 'valentines ' event. A day apparently meant to celebrate relations between lovers, co-workers and friends. At least that's how it seemed to work in Chaldea considering how chipper most of the staff had been today with a few of them leaving their post to go spend time with their special someone.

But the most glaring breadwinner today had been master of course, with at least twelve servants having given him some form of chocolate to show their gratitude in most cases and in others to avoid 'disrespecting' the occasion. Of course, they had all been girls, minus Astolfo for 'reasons'. Mordred herself had only heard of the event and did somewhat want to get Gudao something for his troubles while also not wanting to come off as some black sheep considering he was something of a friend to her… Still considering he already had so much on his plate he certainly wasn't wanting for more chocolates. But still.

Frankenstein snickered next to her as she looked down and scribbled into a notepad next to Mordred who was casually sipping on a milkshake in the mess hall. Xuanzang, sitting across from was busying herself by placing some wrapped candies she could only assume she was preparing for the master, though then again from what she'd heard that Wukong fellow seemed a bit higher up her totem pole as far as the monk's affections were concerned than master was. On the other hand, Wukong was still yet to be summoned if ever, so the former seemed more likely.

"You, know if you do this out in the open he's gonna see you coming a mile away," Mordred said dryly prompting Xuan to look at her with a momentary blush before frowning.

"What makes you think these aren't a gift for someone else? Or perhaps myself" she responded evenly. Mordred gave a vacant look as she sucked on her straw.

"For yourself, I doubt. Master seems a lot more likely considering how many gifts he's already received. Hm, it's not even 12 noon yet" she said as she glanced at the overhead digital clock. Knowing she couldn't really hide this from Mordred her frown quickly turned into a slight pout as her head hung.

"Ok fine, it's for someone. Though I won't say who… Anyway, aren't you going to get anyone anything?" Xuan asked as she looked at Mordred who placed her milkshake on the table, Frankenstein wasn't really paying attention to the conversation and just carried with whatever it was she was doing. "I know these aren't traditions most of us hold any real attention to but you should try to enjoy little things"

"Hey, I didn't say I wasn't participating. I just don't have a particular gift to give" she replied with a sheepish look.

"It is not a matter of how grandiose your gift is, it's the thought that counts," Xuan said with an encouraging smile.

"… You really think that?" the blonde asked, curiously as she ran her fingers along the milkshake cup.

"Of course, just make sure you mean it" the monk said with a proud nod. Perhaps a bit too loud as the words seemed to get the attention of Marie and Jeanne who were passing by their table with a cup of tea in each of their hands.

"Oh, are you prepparing your gifts for your Valentine Xuan?" Marie asked with a smile prompting Xuan to sputter and place a hand over her wrapped candy bars.

She gave sheepish smile. "Ha, yeah. I guess I I'm going to give them to him now actually" she said with a sudden eagerness that amused the knight. None could really fault Marie as she was the sort of girl to get really swept into things like Romance and intimacy, she couldn't get flustered easily and did have a mild tendency to tease others on such things. And despite what you'd expect from a Buddhist monk being aloof and generally nonchalant it really wasn't hard to tease Xuanzang to the point she'd become a stuttering mess.

In a way, she was almost as easily flustered as Mash, or perhaps she wasn't giving her enough credit.

"Oh… Ok, lets chat when you have time then" Marie said as Jeanne gave a soft smile before turning to Mordred and Frankenstein.

"So what are you two up to?" she asked.

"Can't speak for Frankie but I'm just having this milkshake" she said very dryly as one of Frankenstein turned down papers slid off the table and landed on Mordred's lap. Glancing down she motioned to pick It up for the unknowing Berserker. "Hey, Fran you dropped this" she said as she glanced down at the paper and from the looks of it most of the text was written in some old language she couldn't understand. There were also some hearts and little creatures on the side.

Glancing over Frankenstein immediately grimaced and swiped it from a startled Mordreds grasp.

"Uhg!" she grunted with an accusatory look.

"Woah, chill out you dropped it first I just picked it up for you" Mordred said as Frankenstein gave an irritated pout. Wordlessly she placed the paper into her book before scurrying away from their table, leaving behind a slightly confused looking Mordred. "What did I do?" she asked incredulously.

Marie giggled while Jeanne gave a slight smile before they both say across from the Knight. "Well, she probably didn't want you to peak into her little valentine paper. Oh, Mordred your so clueless on these things" Marie said while a vein popped out of Mordreds forehead.

"I couldn't even read what she wrote, guess she's super touchy about it" Mordred said with a sigh as she sipped her milkshake more. Or at least that's what she wanted to do but the constant heat from Marie's gaze was getting to her. Glancing up she could see the silvette had hearts in her eye. "What is it?" she asked.

Jeanne glanced at her friend, then back at Mordred. "Well she wants you to say it first I think" she said with a slight smile, she seemed to be well accustomed to Marie's eccentricities but considering how much of a Girlscout that Ruler was Mordred really wasn't that surprised she could befriend just about anyone.

"Say what?" she asked impatiently.

Marie giggled to herself. "Oh Mordred, have a bit of festivity to yourself. This is the day of love after all… With that in mind…" Marie gave an innocent smile but Mordred knew what was coming. "… Who's your valentine?" she asked.

"Idk, Master maybe or Jeckyl" she answered thoughtlessly. She certainly liked Jekyll despite his split personality but just as a guy friend of sorts.

"Aww, why just two options. But I suppose Jeckly is the closest guy to you" Marie said as she tilted her head contemplatively. "I think you two would make a lovely couple". And yet another vein popped from her head, what was it about the idea of two people getting each other chocolates and maybe shagging in a bedroom or broomcloset somewhere that made everyone so obnoxious?

"He's just a friend" she said dryly. Marie said something else questioning the validity of that statement but Mordred had tuned her out in favour of finishing her milkshake. Frankly, she wasn't even sure she was at all into guys or girls. At least physical appearance or things like muscles or curves didn't really mean anything to her, so was she weird for being that way?

"I mean surely someone out there has your eye. Right, Jeanne?" Marie said nudging the quiet girl that blushed slightly.

"Ah, well I'm sure Mordred has her own ways, Marie perhaps you shouldn't be so pushy?" Jeanne suggested, sensing Mordred's disinterest. Sucking her milkshake all up in thirty seconds she stood up and tossed it in a nearby bin.

"Well, it's been fun chatting girls. But I'll be going now" she said and without waiting for their response she left the mess hall, making her way out onto the lobby. 'Asking me all those questions, so troublesome' Mordred said as she stuffed her hands into her pockets. Much as she hated to admit it the queen's words had gotten her thinking a bit more about her sexuality and that was something of a nono

Sighing she kept walking.

Master had chosen her, Kiyohime and Mash as the front liners for the afternoon's mission, it wasn't to serve any particular end of course beyond some casual training in the smaller singularities and just perhaps gain some extra ascension materials. Mordred was never one to complain about getting to swing her clarent around but the goofy grin Gudoa had on his face the whole time couldn't help but bring out her slightly more cynical nature. A team of servants entirely consisting of members of the opposite sex, half of which had yet to give him a valentine gift? He was certainly milking the day for all it was worth… Still if nothing else it was an opportunity to give him something, though that would just be feeding into the habit.

They were currently camped out on an empty green field and Mordred had perched herself on a small green tree further on, years of resting on the hard ground made her well accustomed to the discomfort of branches. In her hand was a half-eaten candy bar, her body relaxed and her gaze directed at the city over the horizon. The sun was shining brightly and the birds gave a nice ambiance to the era with their chirping. Eventually, she stuffed the candy bar into her back pocket and leaned back on the branch, a leg hanging over the edge.

Unfortunately, the peace wouldn't last as within several minutes she'd get pulled out of her nap by a loud knock on the base of the tree, enough to make he jump slightly as she glanced down to see Gudao smiling up at her with a with a bottle of water in hand.

"You know you could have just called out master," Mordred said as she rubbed her eyes

"Oh, sorry for startling you, Mordred. Just wanted to check up" he said as Mordred willingly let her body fall off the side of the branch, flipping herself upright midair and landing on her feet next to him.

She smirked and stretched her arms slightly." I'm good, just having a little nap before I was interrupted" she pointed out though her tone was more akin to teasing. The brunette laughed slightly to that.

"Ha, right. I'm glad you're doing good" he said as she stifled a yawn. He raised the bottle he had to her. "Here, its hot out today"

"It ain't too bad, as a servant weathers not really an issue. Thanks though" she said taking the bottle regardless and guzzling it all down in less than a minute. She was in good spirits, her mind and body rested and her mana fully replenished she felt fit enough to take on any servant. Though on a simple item drop mission like this finding a servant that could actually test her skills was very unlikely.

Stepping out under the sun she shaded her eyes looked over the horizon, a few lower-class enemies further on but nothing of real note. Gudao stood next to her. "So, Mordred. Don't suppose you've got any particular valentine today, do you?" he asked prompting her to glance back at him

"Valentine?" she repeated. He was less than smooth on how he introduced that topic but it was convenient to get it out now. "Nope, no one that really comes to mind"

He gave a sheepish laugh and rubbed his head in response. "Oh, no chocolates huh. Well, I'm sure someone else can still give you some today. It's not over yet, you could still get some from someone. Or you could give some to a person you admire" he said with a light blush on his cheeks.

The response was a bit puzzling on whether he legitimately wanted her to get chocolates from some admirer or whether he was lowkey fishing for something. She scratched her head and looked to the side. "chocolates, right… I think you did mention something like that" she smirked up at him dismissing the thoughts for the moment. "Say, master, do you want some?" she asked.

"Ah, I couldn't possibly deny a gift you put all your time into. But are you going to make me your valentine then?" he asked smiling broadly. Her smile remained as well as she responded.

"Huh, nah no trouble… Cuz I didn't actually make it but Xuanzang says it's the thought that counts" she said fiddling with the hidden pocket compartment in her armour. He didn't seem to be bothered either though, did master just like getting gifts then?

"Ha, very true. I'm sure whatever you give will be great"

After a bit of fiddling Mordred was a bit displeased to see that only candy bar she had left was the one she'd already taken half a bite out of. Clicking her tongue she turned back to him smirking.

"Ah, sorry I've already opened this but you can finish it for me" she said handing the half-eaten candy bar to Gudao who looked a bit stupified for a few seconds before looking up and smiling.

"Ah, of course. Thank you so much, Mordred. I'll be sure to finish it" he said with a somewhat forced laugh which Mordred took little notice of. Yeah, it was kinda half hazard since she actually forgot it was even that day, but she gave it as a gift from her heart so it would all be alright… Probably.

With a confident smirk, she looked ahead. "Alrighty, I'm all set to cut stuff down so let's go". Gudao was less enthusiastic for some reasons

"… Yeah, alright then. I'll get the others" he muttered. His distaste was still noticeable but Mordred was out of earshot. Of course, he'd back to his usual self in no time.

* * *

"You know, when I said it's the thought that counts… That wasn't meant to be justification for a lackluster gift" Xuan said as she rubbed her temples, looking over at Mordred who once again had a strawberry milkshake in hand and was quietly sipping her sugary beverage, leaning one of the walls of the servant lounge in Chaldea. About a dozen or so all sitting around, either keeping to themselves or chatting.

She liked to think she was getting better at keeping her temper in check, hell there was an uncomfortable number of Knights from the round present, Arthur being the most prominent and she'd made it a point to not talk to any of them. She'd done a great job of keeping all her malice and resentment to herself. That had to count for something

Of course from their first mission together since the monk was summoned, Xuanzang had an ironic knack for testing the outer limits of that patience considering monks were supposed to be good at setting others at ease.

"I just got back an hour ago, whats your beef now ?" Mordred said with a groan as the monk facepalmed. Behind her Marie stood looking a bit dejected with her usual attachment off Jeanne being replaced with a somewhat misplaced looking Yorimitsu. An odd chemistry friendship if she ever saw one.

"Oh, Mordred. Such gifts simply can not do for such an intimate day" Marie said as Yorimitsu hummed in agreement.

"Indeed, a pretty girl such as yourself shouldn't present such things" the purple clad general said making Mordred's eye twitch slightlyat getting called a girl. She would let that comment slide this once. Glancing back up at them she was honestly getting a bit weary.

"You, know the more this day goes the less I'm enjoying this valentines day" Mordred said with a sigh as she stepped away from her wall and binned her empty milkshake.

Xuan shook her head and placed both hands on Mordred's shoulder. "Look, I'm not out to nag you but…" she said her voice even but then her eyes would suddenly get beady and tears would stream from them. "Now he thinks I'm the one that told you to give him that. My image as a monk can't stand for such inadequacies. You little punk" she said shaking the saber furiously, steam coming form her ears.

"Ok ok, I get it. I'm sorry" she responded. She was half considering jumping out the window at this moment if only to get away. Xuan was bordering on hysterical at present with the anger on her face mixed with tears of sorrow, it was a bit nutty honestly

"Sorry doesn't cut it" the monk remarked. She looked to the other two for help but Marie gave an apologetic smile while Yorimitsu had a smile she swore said 'you'll suffer for that poor gift choice Knight'. The aura on Xuan was getting a bit toxic and she suspected an eruption was imminent. Yup, it was time to book it.

She was on verge of taking her chances with the window when a familiar grunt could be heard behind Marie and Yorimitsu. "Oh, hello Frankenstein," Marie said as she looked behind her and bringing the others attention to the white-clad Berserker behind her.

Frankenstein stood there, her eyes hidden behind her bangs yet she carried a certain scrutinising aura about her. Of course, as soon she spotted Mordred she grunted and squessed past the other two to approach the blonde, if nothing else her presence had offset Xuan's initial annoyance enough that the attention wasn't toward her as much.

"Mordred" Frankenstein grunted as she stood infront of Mordred with a smile on her face.

Frankenstein wasn't the sort to really bail others out of awkward situations so it seemed more likely the Bersker legitimately had something for her, even as the relativaly good friends they were, though that was more thanks to her inabilty to grasp social tentions than an actual indifference to the happenings… Or maybe it was indifference. She was having second guesses now

"Oh, hey Fran. What is it?" she asked as she broke from Xuan's hold to look up at her. What followed next wasn't something she could have quite expected though it certainly very effectively took the monks ire away from her.

Reaching into the bag arong her hip the redhead brought out a wrapped candy piece, holding it in both hands she offerred it to the armour clad servant whose face immediately went several shades of red brighter.

"Oh in the lounge no less… How forward" Marie said with hearts in her eyes, a hand over her mouth. Yorimitsu smiled in pleasant surprise and Xuanzang looked dumbstruck.

This sort of situation was a first, Frankenstein had very carelessly handed her of all people chocolates and they had caught the eye of a number of other passersby that moments prior were just trying to do something else. Madea giggled quietly from her seat adjacent to Semiramis who merely offered the gesture a glance before resuming her wine drinking.

Hell, even the usually aloof Scathach glanced over and gave the smallest of smirks as she passed by with Gae Bolg in hand. She was being put on the spot right now whether Frankenstein new it or not.

"Frankie, do you know what you're doing?" Mordred asked making eye contact despite the hard blush on her cheeks. Frankenstein smiled back and nodded eagerly.

"Mordred… be… valentine…?". The way she asked came off as both eager and very apprehensive. That of course only worked to bring more attention onto the blonde who was becoming a bigger flustered mess with each passing second. She didn't even know how to respond to the implications of this.

If Frankenstein new what she was doing then was this a platonic gesture at best or was she to be taken as a desire to deepen the bond… Obviously, even if it was the latter she certainly wouldn't treat it that way. Honestly, how could she even turn this down without looking like the bad guy?

The simple answer was, you couldn't. So she took in a deep breath and tried to articulate herself before responding.

Reaching out she took the chocolate and stuffed it in her pocket. "Yeah. thanks…Frankenstein" she said through her teeth with a forced smile under her blush.

"She accepted. That's so adorable" Marie said and with every passing moment, the idea of chucking the three of them out the window was becoming ever more appealing. As if to hammer in the awkwardness Mordred felt a number of 'awws' echoed around the lobby that came curtesy of their ever expanding audience.

Well at this rate she would either drop dead from embarrassment or brutally murder everyone in the room, the latter probably wouldn't bode well and dropping dead in a hallway wasn't exactly something she fancied being remembered for.

Though it looked like Frankenstein still had stuff she wanted to say, if the shifty look and flustered smile were anything to go by.

When in doubt, getting back to basics were best and so far walking away from problems opposed to braving them was proving effective. "Well, it was nice talking to you guys but I need to get back to some stuff" she said to which Frankenstein tilted her head.

"Ugh?" she grunted.

"Oh…" Marie said. Xuanzang looked on unimpressed by her excuse but was kind enough to not press the matter. Actually, she seemed a tad dejected.

"Yup, need to get back to that stuff" she said as she turned on her heel. There were some mummers and Frankenstein did reach out for her shoulder but Mordred was already passed her arms reach and watched her retreating figure.

"Well goodbye then Mordred…" Yorimitsu said while mutterung some things under her breath.

An unspoken reason why Mordred also wasn't especially thrilled by 'Valentine's day' may have been a relatively predictable one to those that knew her well. Simply put, having a situation in which her sexuality or gender had to be called into question was something she generally refrained from associating with. She had no particular physical attraction to anyone. Sure she could acknowledge that Diarmuid was a good looking guy or that Cleopatra was something of a beauty to behold.

Medusa was totally stacked and Iskander was swol and built up in all the right places for a king. All people she found pleasing to the eyes, though wouldn't stop her from splitting their heads open if she ever had to face them on the field. She was after all something of a pro at making pretty people ugly.

Getting close to a significant other or other's if you were the polysexual sort, it was something she could see the value in, someone that could ideally confide in and trust with all your secrets. Thing was, companionship wasn't something she ever sought out. She was a knight at her core and the only company she'd ever seek out was the blade in her hand and a battlefield. Or so she'd thought.

Frankenstein was one of her closest friends, they'd clowned around together, killed things together and drank together on several occasions. Countless opportunities to share such feelings had presented themselves and she had taken none of them so of course, that was enough reason to think they were just friends.

Someone she trusted, and as far as the chocolates went she was inclined to believe it had no particular implication beyond a friendly gesture.

Or so she'd thought…

The day had come and gone, following that it was back to business as usual in Chaldea for the Knight of Treachery. Do some missions with master, have a little spar with any servant that was free during the off hours of the day. Some evenings she'd either have sleep in or have another late night drinking game with Iskander and some of his old subordinates.

Fran by all accounts had grown a bit more scarce with how busy they'd all got from all their missions, she wasn't acting any less pleasantly around Mordred though… Still, a week after Valentines and things between them did feel a bit different, though that wasn't really a bad thing persay… Or so she'd convinced herself.

Of course, you could always leave it to Xuanzang to find new faults to shoot her down for.

"What is it now Monk?!" she groaned as she scowled up at the brunette, her back against a corner and Xuan's arms blocking her sides. She was on the verge of either getting hugged or throttled, both were equally undesirable in this particular occasion.

"Why are you so good at being blind?". The question had a surprising amount of honesty to it and the blonde raised a brow at her.

"I don't appreciate being called blind by the top-heavy monk of all people" she retorted as she glared back at Xuanzang who grimaced at the insult.

"Top heavy? I'm not top heavy!" she retorted, though she stopped herself before she things would devolve into another one of their squabbles. Taking a deep breath she stepped back. "Whatever, sorry for shoving you… Actually, I'm not sorry you're an insensitive jerk" she said pulling the apology back much to Mordred's irritation.

"Are you gonna tell me whats up or we going to have to take this to the spar grounds, again?" Mordred asked a vein popping from her head and her arms clenched into fists.

That was when Jeanne stepped forward to place an arm on their shoulders. "I think what she's trying to say is you haven't been a very good friend to Frankenstein, Mordred" Jeanne said in a calm tone that harboured a bit of disapproval as she glanced at Mordred who stopped her stare off with Xuan at hearing the Berserker's name.

"A bad friend, what did I do?" she asked though she had a fairly good idea as to just what the reason was. And apparently so did Jeanne as she looked ready groan but refrained.

"I think you know what I'm referring to" she said with a deadpan expression, evidently Jeanne wasn't going to humour her. Well, she supposed she deserved some kind of reprimanding if it really was what she thought.

"… Is it her chocolate?" she asked as she looked to the side. Jeanne answered again.

"Yes, it is. She'd been working on the day before and was trying to build up to her confession but you walked out on her. She just coops herself in her room when there's no work to be done and even then she's so moody". If words could be translated into action then Jeanne may as well have been repeatedly kicking her in the ribs for all the internal pain she felt.

She just felt crappy now though part of her still wasn't all in. "Well I was put on the spot right there, what would you expect me to do after accepting the chocolates, pop one in and eat it whole?"

After all Frankenstein had gone about things rather tactlessly and even then she hadn't really attempted to make herself understood.

"Noone's faulting you for how you responded. She's not really the best at expressing herself and you never confronted her properly to make sure" Jeanne explained to Mordred whose gaze shifted to the floor. "If you don't feel the same about her you should at least tell her yourself rather than just let her wallow in uncertainty is just my personal opinion" she said as Jeanne stepped back from the two of them

The Knight hesitantly glanced up at Xuanzang who still looked annoyed but somewhat more understanding. She supposed her annoyance was justified, this was something she probably needed to address before it drew a wedge in their friendship. So the monk was looking out for her then huh,

She smiled genuinly this time at her. "Thanks for confronting me about this guys, I'll deal with it right now" she giving Xuan a grateful punch to the arm as she passed by, though she didn't seem all too happy as she glared at the blonde who smirked before hurriedly walking past her

Standing a few feet away out of earshot was Marie who tilted her head and placed a thoughtful finger on her chin as Jeanne came back.

"You know, whenever those two go at it feels like two siblings who can't quite tell if they like or hate each other" Marie noted to Jeanne who smiled and knowing as the slightest smile crept up on Xuanzang's lips.

"I suppose you have a point… I feel like Xuanzang sees Mordred as her younger sister. Maybe I'm only seeing what I want to see haha. Reminds of my own mother when I started sneaking out to help the church tend to wounded soldiers" Jeanne said with a giggle. Marie smiled understandingly

"No, I think your closer to the mark actually" she said with a knowing smile. Hopefully, things would turn out ok eventually.

* * *

In hindsight, Frankenstein had a lot of telltale signs of her depression, hints that Mordred had chose not to see and was now feeling the growing regret for it. But when Jeanne said Frankenstein was upset she wasn't joking, if the low choking sounds from the other side of the door were anything to go by.

Sighing she pulled her head away from the door and rubbed the back of her neck wondering how she'd break the ice. Maybe a casual joke, would she even find that funny? Maybe address the miscommunication directly, no being too forward could make things awkward real fast… Well, she supposed being natural was the only thing she was good at since acting wasn't something she was at all good at.

Closing her eyes she tried to clear her mind as she gave the door three good knocks. A gasp immediately followed before the room went completely silent, the suspense was killing her but she stood her ground and kept a straight face. After a minute or so she knocked again. "Hey Frankenstein, are you in there?" she said just as the electronic door slid open and a blank-faced Frankenstein could be seen staring back at her.

"Uh…" she grunted with a friendly smile. Her hair had been conveniently brushed a few more bangs to obscure her face, though the dry tears were still a bit visible.

"Mind if I come in? Been a while since we've hung out here" she said with a smirk to which Frankenstein winced slightly and glanced down, her mannerisms a bit slugish.

"Uh!" she nodded and stepped back for Mordred to walk in, the door closing behind her. Her room was a lot more organised than hers, with a surprising eye for symmetry and order. As Mordred sat down on the little couch Frankenstein offered her a bottle of beer which she waved off much to the Berserkers puzzlement.

She supposed it was better to bring it up gently. "So how've you been doing Fran?" she asked as she rubbed the back of her head with a very forced looking smile. Frankenstein gave another of her smiles and nodded, well this was going nowhere fast… She was no good at small talk and had no idea how to bring this up organically.

' _Screw it, here goes nothing'_ she thought as she tapped the seat next to her for Frankenstein to take, curiously she complied and placed her arms on her lap with an expectant smile. "You know, your chocolates from two days ago tasted pretty good" she said, it was still forced but it atleast brought the day back into perspective.

Frankenstein said nothing, just flashing her usual smile, though now a bit more pronounced from the praise as she looked the saber dead on. She was a lot more perceptive than her seemingly inattentive mannerisms would have you believe, it made Mordred wonder if the Berserker was playing dumb or something.

"I'd love to try it again sometime if your up for it…" she said with a low chuckle, her shoulder stiff and a bead of sweat rolling down her back

"Mordred… Liked it?" Frankenstein asked as though she needed some reassurance.

Well, it wasn't that good, the flavours were off but it wasn't bad and that was what counted right? "Yeah, it tasted pretty good". Frankenstein smiled broadened and for the briefest second her eyes were visible behind her bangs.

"Good…" she responded her gaze lowering. Hesitantly the knight placed an arm on Frankenstein's shoulder and gave her a stern look.

"Frankenstein. Is there some thing you want to tell me?" she asked. They only maintained eye contact for a few seconds before the redhead looked away, her cheeks slightly red. She got no response so she nudged her shoulder slightly. "Come on, I know I've been a bit dense this week. I won't get mad or anything" she said, trying to look reassuring. Keyword being trying.

The berserker clenched her fists visibly before elbowing an unsuspecting Mordred in her side, not hard enough to actually hurt her but it didn't exactly tickle either.

She fell on her side on the couch a bit bewildered "Ow, what was that for?" she asked just as another closed fist flew at her head and prompting Mordred to raise her arms up protectively as Frankenstein pummeled her body, albiet in a somewhat restrained fashion

"Stupid… Mordred!" she grunted she sat on the blonde's legs to stop her wriggling out. "Ignoring Frankenstein… Jerk!"

"I'm sorry, just stop already" she retorted, the hits were actually beginning to really hurt now and her patience for it worn thin. Catching Frankenstein's arm as she reeled it back for another swing and her other arm catching the fist, their base level abilities had a pretty obvious difference but even then she was having trouble holding Berserker back. The floorboards beneath even caved slightly as their manas clashed.

With a huff, Frankenstein's eyes watered slightly before she shifted away from the slightly bruised saber.

Sitting she rubbed her bruised left cheek and sighed. She deserved that much she supposed. She wasn't even the touchy type and with the way she kept rubbing her eyes it looked like Fran would break down any second. "Come on, don't cry… Jeez I'm shit at this" she muttered the under her breath as she pulled a handkerchief from her back pocket and handed it over to Fran.

She accepted the offer with a dissatisfied frown as Mordred watched her with a dejected look. She quickly rubbed her eyes and handed it back.

"Frankenstein do you like me?" Mordred finally asked.

"Yes" Frankenstein responded without missing a beat. She still needed to be onehundred percent clear on this though.

"As in romantically…? Or the platonic kind?" she asked rubbing her head sheepishly. The Berserker groaned and turned her head back, for once her multicoloured eyes unobscured and staring her dead on.

For once she spoke without her usual third person speech pattern, no doubt to clarify as much as possible. " I like you a lot… Mordred… Frankestein wants us to be closer" she said taking Mordred's hand and staring her down.

This time it was Mordred's turn to blush.

"Ok… How long have you liked me?". Fran raised three digits . " Three months?" she asked to which she nodded. Honestly the way she kept staring Mordred down was too much and the blonde averted her gaze to the side.

"Ok… Why me though? I have treated you any better than someone like Jeanne or Jekyll." She asked. Frankenstein's brows furrowed slightly and she shook her head.

"Jeanne and Jeckly… Just friends" she said as she took Mordred hand between both her palms. "Mordred always kind and… Frankenstein feels… kinship". Kinship with her, really? That was hard to comprehend.

"Kinship…?"

"Both, of us… are like homunculus ". Mordred looked back at her. She'd already stated before she didn't like been likened to those beings, a tool meant to serve human ends. "Fran knows… Mordred don't' like being called Homonculus but Fran can't help it" she was clearly trying her best to speak clearly but the speech impediment inherent to Berserker class had its limits. Though it was equally as likely flaws in the way the scientist had conceived her were to blame.

So that was her reason? She new Frankenstein's desires from the grail was someone just like herself so she wouldn't be alone anymore. It couldn't have been that simple, could it?

Regardless she supposed she had to give Frankenstein an answer, but she wasn't so sure if she actually could… She couldn't say she really felt the same but she could say that about every one of her friends.

"You know were both physically girls right? Don't you prefer guys?" she asked. Frankenstein titled her head as though she'd heard something silly. She shook her head. Mordred's gender wasn't something she liked to talk about but yes they were both physically the same, aperantly Frankenstein didn't care about that which wasn't what she was expecting.

"So that's why huh" she responded after a brief pause. "Fran, I honestly don't know how I feel… Honestly romance hasn't ever been on my radar".

Frankenstein nodded and looked away, obviously not what she wanted to hear but a response she expected. But Mordred wasn't quit finished yet.

"Your one of my best friends in Chaldea even if its just for a few years. Hell a week in this place doesn't feel complete unless we go out for out for drinks at one point… Which is why I don't want to write this off"

The answer was obvious, she knew it. But to leave things as they were now just didn't feel right for Frankenstein. Or perhaps she was just trying to feel better about what would inevitably happen… Then again maybe she'd have a change of heart.

Frankenstein perked up, her eyes wide with suriprise

"Mordred… Like Frankenstein too then?" she asked.

"I didnd't say that… I just want time to work this out for myself ok? Let's just hang out like we usually do for now and I promise within the next month or so I'll give you a clear answer". Her face was a bit red but her expression was blank.

She atleast needed that much, apologetic as she was on making Frankenstein feel like she got flat rejected infront of everyone in the lounge Mordred didn't owe her any reciprocation.

Thankfully she seemed to understand that. She nodded understandingly, albeit a bit bitterly. "Uhn" she grunted.

"Thanks for understanding" Mordred said, standing up and straightening out her clothes "… Let's drink together tonight with Xuanzang then?" she offered with a grin. At least seeing them on good terms would set the monks mind at ease, beyond that she sort of wanted to thank the monk for giving her a nudge, even it was in the least most graceful way imaginable.

"Uhm" Frankenstein grunted in approval.

Hopefully they'd both come out of this better off when she finally gave an answer.


End file.
